Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. “And I think we’re just getting better and better.” “I think if you can play your best basketball around this time and come into March, I think we’re going to have a really good chance,” Adams said. Adams, like Self it seemed, thinks he and his teammates are at least getting close. Maybe the Jayhawks are still a ways away. Maybe Kansas will enter that game inside Allen Fieldhouse with a sense of its identity that it didn’t have earlier this season in the loss at Baylor. And first up of that group is Saturday’s game at home against the Bears. 24 TCU on the road, and the Big 12 tournament. He mentioned a couple of upcoming regular season games, No. But, yeah, proud of us.”Īs Adams reacted to getting back into first place, he noted there’s still a lot left on Kansas’ schedule. In the Big 12, you’re playing in the best conference every night. The job’s not finished yet, but, yeah, this season’s going to have highs and lows. “We’ve got the pieces to get where we need to be. “It tells you a lot about this group,” McCullar said about the Jayhawks’ recent success. Self hopes his players are becoming more comfortable being uncomfortable. Not all the wins have been very comfortable in this recent stretch. It’s a response that’s emblematic of how Kansas has time and again kept the three-game losing streak in January from becoming more than one chapter of the larger story of this season. Despite those issues, the Jayhawks never trailed in the second half. at different points, Kansas had to play makeshift lineups. and redshirt senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. It meant, considering injuries affected redshirt junior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. The second half was about the Jayhawks (21-5, 9-4 in Big 12) being able to play through foul trouble, as in time Wilson reached three fouls, sophomore forward KJ Adams Jr. Jayhawks freshman guard Gradey Dick, who’d go on to have a career-high 26 points, hit a 3-pointer as the half came to a close to give Kansas that two-point cushion. Oklahoma State (16-10, 7-6 in Big 12) may have been the better team in the first half, but Kansas was able to make enough plays to go into halftime with a 39-37 lead. Self thought his side was going to have to be really good to have a chance Tuesday, and for the most part, it was. From what I’ve seen, it’s shown our will to want to win.” "To have so many new guys and young guys show that kind of fight, it’s really important, really impressive. But we’ve got to find a way just to keep pushing, keep going, and that’s what we were able to do. “Our conference is really good, so losing three games in a row may seem bad while it’s going on. “We’re never going to stop fighting, no matter what’s going on,” redshirt junior forward Jalen Wilson said. scores in double figures for Kansas basketball, his team wins Oklahoma State recap: Jayhawks win 87-76 in Big 12 Conference matchup And with some help from around the Big 12, the Jayhawks are now back in first place - tied with a couple other teams, but back in first place - atop the conference’s regular season standings. 7 Kansas a three-game winning streak for the first time in weeks. That includes an 87-76 win Tuesday on the road against Oklahoma State, to give No. Losses against on the road at Kansas State, at home against TCU and on the road against Baylor, in quick succession, brought a much more critical eye to the potential Kansas had this season as it looked to defend its national title and recent Big 12 Conference success.Īnd the schedule that followed those defeats wasn’t going to provide any immediate opportunities for relief.īut in the six games that have followed, the Jayhawks have gone 5-1 with a 4-1 record against other Big 12 opponents. That kind of slide hasn’t happened often since Bill Self took over as the Jayhawks’ head coach ahead of the 2003-04 season. STILLWATER, Oklahoma - About three weeks ago, the Kansas men’s basketball had to answer questions about a rare three-game losing streak. View Gallery: OSU Cowboys host Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
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